Grahani Roga & its relation with Intestinal Diseases in Modern Language?

Do you often get disappointed because of unexpected gut symptoms? Do you often experience pains and cramps in the abdomen? Do you frequently get exposed to changes in bowel habits? Do you often feel a sudden and urgent need to use the bathroom? Well, you may be confronted with Grahani roga which can be pretty irritating. From having to backtrack your diet to the awkwardness of explaining your situation to others, no one understands your situation except for the ones who have already acquainted with them.

Most people today follow a sedentary lifestyle that leaves them at the stake of irregular diet and diet timings. Added to that is the tremendous mental stress that people undergo in these modern days. All these eventually lead to a diseased state of body and mind. Disorders of the digestive system play a major role among them.

GRAHANI ROGA - THE AYURVEDIC CONCEPT

Agni, the body fire is solely responsible for our lifespan, health, immunity, energy, enthusiasm, vital breath, luster, corpulence, and heat processes. When the body fire functions properly, one lives long and free from disorders. Diseases occur when this fire is deranged and death occurs when this fire is extinguished. Hence the root cause of all is Agni. - Charaka Samhita

Within the process of digestion lies the root cause of all the diseases. When the digestive system is working at its optimum supported by the correct lifestyle and correct quantity and quality of food as per our individual constitution, the food we ingest is broken down into its constituents, nourishes our tissues, and supports our everyday functions.

Agni is a unique concept of Ayurveda and is solely responsible for the physiology of digestion. Following an incorrect diet and food habits can derange our digestive fire which ultimately affects the digestive process, thereby leading to the formation of toxins.

Grahani may be related to the seat of this digestive fire. According to Ayurveda, Grahani is accountable for the ingestion, digestion, absorption, and assimilation of food. Grahani is among the major causes of digestive illness globally, especially in developing countries, and is often constituted because of improper diet and lifestyle habits.

To put it another way, Grahani is caused by the incompatibility of factors that are related to digestion and metabolism. Ayurveda insists that Grahani is the site of Jatharagni (digestive fire). Accordingly, any factor that may cause derangement of this Jatharagni can potentially lead to Grahani Roga.

TYPES OF GRAHANI ROGA AND THEIR SYMPTOMS

1. Vataja Grahani Roga results from increased Vata. It may be due to a variety of causes that include suppression of natural urges, intake of fermented foods, intake of contaminated, pungent, bitter, astringent, and dry foods. Symptoms being the absence of hunger, noise in the ears, pain in the flanks, thighs, and neck, vomiting, depression.
2. Pittaja Grahani Roga results from increased Pitta. It may be due to the intake of too many raw foods that are pungent and sour in taste. The patient may eliminate foods that are not properly digested, stools may be deep yellow in color, and may experience burning sensations in the chest or throat.
3. Kaphaja Grahani Roga results from increased Kapha. It may be due to the increased use of fatty, heavy, cold foods. Also sleeping right after meals results in improper digestive function. Patients may experience excess coating in the mouth and tongue, sweet taste in the mouth, heaviness in the abdomen, elimination of mucus along with feces.

HOW IS GRAHANI ROGA RELATED TO IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME AND OTHER INTESTINAL DISEASES?

When the process of digestion is affected, diseases arise in the gastrointestinal tract. According to Ayurveda, the function of the duodenum is twofold. It takes part in the digestive process and it also holds on to the food until it is digested. Once the digestion is completed, the duodenum releases the food into the colon from where it gets excreted under the influence of Apana Vayu.

Grahani is caused by the derangement of digestive fire and causes weakness in the duodenum. As the digestive fire remains deranged, the functions of the duodenum are inhibited. The duodenum will either release its contents earlier than normal into the colon or it will retain its contents for longer periods. This eventually results in the food released into the colon either being uncooked or overcooked.

In response to this condition, one may experience loose bowel movements alternating with constipation. Since these are the cardinal symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Grahani Roga can be related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, and other Intestinal Diseases, the symptoms of Grahani roga being more or less similar to the symptoms of these diseases.

MANAGEMENT OF GRAHANI

Following the general principle of treatment, the offending dosha must be brought into equilibrium foremost. The management of Grahani should ultimately aim at correcting Agni and strengthening the duodenum. Consumption of buttermilk is considered to be effective towards treating all types of grahani as buttermilk is easy to digest. It is also known to balance the three doshas and strengthen the digestive fire.

Digestive and carminative agents can be given to stimulate the digestive fire. Once the digestive fire is strengthened, the next concern must be to get rid of the toxins. This can be made possible through reducing therapies and elimination therapies that include emesis, purgation, enema, and other detox therapies. 

The preventive measures include avoidance of causative factors of Grahani Roga. Avoid intake of katu (pungent), tikta (bitter), kashaya (astringent), and rasa pradhana ahara (taste dominant food). Excessive guru (heavy), sheeta (cold), snigdha (oily) foods must also be avoided. Sleeping during the day and suppression of natural urges are also to be avoided.

In a nutshell, by following a healthy and balanced diet and lifestyle, all digestive disorders including grahani can be avoided. By every effort, the digestive fire of a person must be protected because when the fire is lost, death occurs. When the fire is deranged by doshas, diseases occur. When the fire is well maintained, the person leads a healthy and happy life free from diseases. Agni is responsible for the health of an individual. - Ashtanga Hridaya

Natural Cure for Ulcerative Colitis

There is a serious disorder called ulcerative colitis and Inflammatory bowel disease ( Crohn's disease ) which is having serious physical, mental and psychological impact on one's health and personality. People are looking for answers - Is there any natural cure for ulcerative colitis?

I have seen many patients start suffering from depression, stop working, lose their jobs, can't travel and lead normal lives if they suffer from ulcerative colitis.

To find out a real solution to the problem, I looked out for solutions in ancient ayurvedic texts like Charak Samhita (2500 BC - ancient Ayurvedic text), Sushruta Samhita ( Father of Surgery- 2000 BC text ) , Bhavprakash Nighantu ( 1700 AD - herbs text ) , Sharanghar Samhita ( 1300 AD book ) , Chakradutt Samhita ( 1100 AD Book ) and many others.

The problems of loose stools, bleeding with stools, drop by drop or occult bleeding, dark stools, frothy stools with mucus and painful cramps in abdomen, wind, dyspepsia, are the symptoms described in Ayurveda for this problem of inflammatory condition of the bowel.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS TO COLON - MODERN VIEW ?

According to modern medicine, the cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown. If the cause is unknown then how can we treat it? So the disease is listed as incurable disease in modern allopathic text books.

Many books quote it's an auto-immune disease i.e. when our own Immunity starts to attack our own digestive tract. Our own army becomes our enemy. So what do you do in this situation? Kill our own army with Immunosuppressants like Azathioprine etc. or stop the fighting ( inflammation ) between Antibodies ( our immunity ) and antigens ( unknown enemy) with Steroids ?

The other drugs like Mesalazine ( 5 Amino Salicylic acid) with brand names Asacol, Mesacol, Pentasa, Lialda, Apriso are given for life long. This is also an acidic drug and can cause serious side effects like kidney disease, nausea, diarrhea, pain abdomen, bone marrow depression ( leukopenia, neutropenia, agranulocytosis, aplastic anemia, low platelets ), hair loss, rashes, drug induced fever, interstitial nephritis, nephrotic syndrome ( This list is taken from Wikipedia ) –

Steroids have their own side effects and they may cause diabetes, disturbance of hormonal axis, bone loss, muscle loss, redistribution of fats ( round face ), severe weakness and many more. Mesalazine enemas are also given sometimes.

These are temporary measures to stop the bleeding for a while but as soon as you stop the drugs like Mesalazine (Asacol, Pentasa or Mesacol) the bleeding starts again.

AYURVEDIC VIEW OF ULCERATIVE COLITIS, CROHN’S DISEASE AND INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES

In Ayurveda, these diseases are described as Grahani, Sangrahani ( many types ) Raktatisaar, Pitta Atisaar.

According to Ancient Ayurvedic text Charak Samhita these two verses explain Grahani dosha in general and in particular.

Verse - 1:

Grahani dosha means defect of agni situated in grahani.

Verse - 2:

Grahani dosajanan denotes particularly the four disorders (vataj,pittaj,kaphaj and tridoshaj) of grahani and generally mildness of digestive fire, indigestion etc.

These are all curable with difficulty as per Ayurvedic texts. When a text says it's curable, that means it's curable. So all depends upon the doctor, the combination of medicines he uses, his management skills, patient compliance, how strictly the patient follows the doctor's advice and make some dietary changes. When the book says it's curable, that means it's curable.

Anyway, in my clinical practice, I have seen many patients getting completely cured rather than going into remission. My patients are free from allopathic drugs for ulcerative colitis, free from Ayurvedic herbs given to them for few months.

What I mean to say is that the patients are getting cured ! !

I urge all the allopathic doctors, the governments to take necessary steps to popularize Ayurvedic herbs to help as many patients as possible. At present, I don't have big funding for free clinical trials to establish the truth but I am seeing it every day happening in my clinic and I am happy about it.

WHICH HERBS I AM USING TO CURE ULCERATIVE COLITIS OR OTHER IBD'S

In Ayurveda, there are special ways to use pearls and corals to heal ulcers. Ancient methods are used to make medicines from precious cooling gems like pearls, corals, agate, Amber, Salmalia malabarica resin, Commiphora mukul Resin ( Ayurvedic names - Mukta pishti, Praval Pishti, Jahar Mohra Pishti, Kaharawa or Trinkant Mani Pishti, Moch Ras, Bol Parpati ).

Other than these costly gems, (Actually not so costly) because we don't need beautiful gems to make jewelry but we need the left over to crush them and make the medicines. We just need the left over from the jewelry. I developed a formula called Pitta Balance. Ancient Vaidya's use the mixture of all these to make into small sachets but I used the vegetarian capsules to make it easy for patient compliance. It's cheap Approx. 28 $ a month!

There are herbs which are cooling and Astringent in nature. Their cooling properties balances the heat, reduced the fermentation, acid formation in the intestines and the astringent property helps to heal the ulcers. I have seen patients with huge ulcers getting healed using these herbs. I have named these formulas as -- COOLSTRIN - A and COOLSTRIN - B. I am using them in advanced stages as most of the patients respond well to the basic herbs mentioned in ulcerative colitis care pack 1 and the herbs are for initial stages are Arjuna, Kutaz and above mentioned Gems ( Pitta balance ) + Vatsakadi Churna - a Blend of herbs containing Bark of Kutaz and 6 more herbs.

The herbs like Arjuna ( Terminalia arjuna ) and Vasaka ( Adhatoda vasica ) are known to have wound healing, cooling, astringent / bitter properties. I am using Arjuna in basic pack and Vasaka in advanced stages. They help to heal the ulcers, stop bleeding. Terminalia arjuna is full of natural enzyme known for energy called - Co Q 10. So it's good for heart as well as improving overall energy levels. Vasaka was originally used for bleeding while coughing but it's good for internal bleeding as well. It has remarkable ulcer healing properties. I am using standardized extracts of Arjuna and Vasaka and other herbs in vegetarian capsules with no extra fillers or preservative or chemicals.

There is a wonderful herb and the names says it all. Halorrhena anti-dysentrica. It's known to stop diarrhea and dysentery of any type, which can be infective diarrhea or E.coli, or due to IBD or Colitis. I developed Planet Ayurveda Kutazghan Vati (standardized aqueous extract of Halorrhena antidysentrica bark). This is used in dosage of 2 tablets twice daily or 2 tablets thrice daily to immediately stop the diarrhea. The dosage can be increased further as it's just bark of the herb and nothing else. No chemcials or preservatives but only the herb. It can be used along with any other ongoing drugs like Mesacol/ Pentasa or Azathioprine or Steroids like Omnacortil or Wysolone. If you feel constipated after using Kutazghan Vati or Motion Stop tablets ( another product containing the herb Kutaz ) then you can reduce the dosage accordingly.

There is a herbal mixture called Vatsakadi Churna. I found this mixture combination mentioned in ancient Ayurvedic text as a blend of herbs to help in all forms of IBS, IBD's, Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis. It contains the herb powder of Kutaz bark and about 8 more herbs.

So The Ulcerative Colitis Care Pack 1 Contains:

1. Cap. Arjuna – 2 twice daily
2. Cap. Pitta Balance – 1 twice daily
3. Tab. Kutazghan Vati -2 twice daily
4. Vatsakadi Churna – 1 teaspoonful twice daily

About 70 % of the patients get relieved of the symptoms within first 10 days of using this combination. The diet also plays an important role in getting rid of the disease.

Ulcerative Colitis Care Pack

The Advanced Stages Ulcerative Colitis Care Pack:

To fortify the formula of basic pack, I needed more combination of herbs. So I developed Coolstrin-A and Coolstrin-B along with Vasaka. Instead of Kutazghan Vati, I am using Motion stop which contains Kutaz and also another useful herb called Aegle marmelos ( Bael seed).

Ulcerative Colitis Care Pack for Advance Stages

1. Cap. Arjuna - 2 twice daily  ( Contains Terminalia arjuna - 500 mg extract )
2. Cap. Vasaka - 2 twice daily ( Contains Adhatoda vasica - 500 mg extract )
3. Tab. Motion Stop - 2 twice daily  ( Contains Kutaz + Bael and others aqueous extracts )
4. Cap. Pitta Balance - 1 twice daily ( Contains Corals, Pearls, Agate - Purified and high grade)
5. Vatsakadi Churna - 1 teaspoonful twice daily ( Contains Kutaz + Bael + 6 more herbs )
6. Coolstrin A - 1 twice daily
7. Coolstrin B -  1 twice daily

Coolstrin A mainly contains herbs like Marigold (Tegetes erecta) Sheesham (Dalbergia sisoo), Pomegranate peel (Punica granatum)

Coolstrin B contains Nagkesar (mesua fera), Mochras (Salmalia malabarica), Lodhra (Symplocus racemosa), Lajjalu (Mimosa pudica), Dhatki (Woodfordia fruticosa)

ROLE OF DIET IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS

Diet is very important method of healing the ulcers and getting rid of toxins, stop the ongoing fermentation in the intestines. Ayurveda says this is AMA or endotoxins produced in intestines which can be understood as Ama can behave as antigens and the body reacts to them and tries to kill or neutralize them and in the process damages the intestines. Ama is a sticky material. It sticks to intestines, blocks the channels and blocks the flow of energies in the body. Patient feels lethargic, weak, stiff and tired with feverish feeling.

Stop These food items:

The best diet for Ulcerative colitis is stop consuming Milk, Cheese, Lassi (Butter milk). Although most of the texts in Ayurveda recommend Takra (buttermilk) But I have observed that approx.. 50 % of the patients do not respond well to Takra but 50 % of the patients respond well to Takra (buttermilk , Chachh or lassi) The butter milk should be prepared with Cumin seed water + Fennel Seed decoction or water. Then it has been found to be useful but usually I ask patients to stop consuming Chaach (Buttermilk / Lassi) and Milk and Cheese.

Sour fruits - Please don't consume Sour fruits like lemons, Citrus juices, oranges or mosami , kiwi and Pineapples. The tomatoes are also not recommended. Vinegar is really dangerous for ulcerative colitis patients.

Spices - Spices like Ginger, Garlic, Chillies are not recommended. Black pepper can be consumed in moderation with food. Bell Peppers can also be consume in moderation along with food.

Sweets - Sugar is not recommended at all.

Juices - All Packaged juices should be stopped immediately.

Fresh Juices - Pure pomegranate juice - 50 ml twice daily is recommended. Rather it is mandatory to be taken twice daily. Green grass juice - 10 ml once daily, Coriander leaves juice- 5 ml once daily or Marigold petals juice - 5 ml once daily is very good to stop bleeding. Rose petals juice 5 ml once daily is good. Just squeeze the petals in a clean cloth and take out the fresh juice. Apple juice / Beet juice can be consumed but only 20-30 ml twice daily.

Don't consume juices of other sour fruits. Don't consume too much fiber like Psyllium (Isabgol) If it suits you then it's ok, but in most of the cases, it doesn't suit. Do not consume too much fiber like Papaya or mangoes. Pears are ok like apples. Just consume pears only in moderation. Coconut water is perfect. Drink 1 fresh coconut water everyday in 2 divided doses.